Bringing people together through the arts. A non-profit second-hand bookshop and arts venue in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Patron: Warren Ellis (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Dirty Three)

I started this blog a year ago today. I’ve just re-read that first blog post, and it’s quite sweet! What a year it’s been – the Tree House is still lurching from one minor crisis to another, but we have been open for six months and just about surviving.

We are doing several of the things I set out in that first blog post, though not all. Some still need to be established, and other things have inevitably developed – the Tree House is not at all as I imagined it would be, despite the basic concept remaining the same, but that is the nature of any creative venture, it is a dynamic thing that grows into its environment.

There has been overwhelming enthusiasm for the project, and even after just six months a real sense of community is beginning to emerge. We have a strong core of regulars, and people still finding us for the first time, and thanks to the power of social media we have followers and fans around the world – extraordinary!

I have met some wonderful people, made some good friends, hosted some fabulous events.

But it has also, inevitably, been a massive challenge too, on a personal level – the practical challenges can generally be overcome, but the personal ones have been enormous and have pushed me close to breaking point. I imagine this is common among those setting up businesses from scratch, even those who have half decent business brains, which I certainly don’t!

Anyway, just another little anniversary, and amazing to look back on a year that began with that tentative and idealistic announcement of what I hoped to do, little knowing how far on we would be a year down the line.

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped – and continues to help – to make this venture a reality and a community asset!